New Dornalia
25-07-2005, 18:03
OOC: Something nice and light. Updated often.
IC:
Getting There!
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A view of Earth SSR's premier gateway, Los Angeles International
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A view of a New Dornalian private vessel entering V.I. Lenin Starport, Luxembourgia
New Dornalia offers top-quality spaceports and Stargate facilities for travelers from all over. Our facilities are capable of handiling all kinds of ships, ranging from small private vehicles to large commercial ships. We utilize the latest in skyway technology to provide smooth transitions from surface to space for ships of all kinds.
The Internal Security Bureau Customs Division, meanwhile, is present at all airports to ensure your safety. Scanners, biological and material, are used to inspect everything, and personal searches are done upon cases of suspicious activity or materials. Generally, a member of the same gender is used to conduct personal searches, and aliens are assigned a Kroot or Abhuman for search, again of similar gender.
There is no entrance or export tax on passengers, though a tariff is collected on importation of goods by bulk freight handlers.
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Blue Eagle is New Dornalia's premier airline, providing service to every corner of New Dornalia, as well as providing freight to other nations. Blue Eagle offers low cost airfares, as well as first-class travels with every amenity needed.
New Dornalia also has superb transportation; many cities have maglev subways, and efficent bus lines; all have low fares and group discounts. Traffic in many cities is much better than it used to be, though adventerous drivers will have to deal with the occasional jam, especially in poorer cities.
Taxi services are available, these are usually privately-operated businesses. If you suspect that any taxicab has overcharged you, report them to Internal Security.
New Dornalia
25-07-2005, 18:16
Medical Information
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The People's Hospital, Located in Los Angeles on the USC grounds
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Watson and Crick Medical Facility, Located in Hammer and Tongs, Luxembourgia SSR
New Dornalia boasts exceptional hospitals that utilize the latest in medical technology. Should you ever encounter an illness or injury while on vacation, visit one of them for a small fee. Many hospitals are government-owned, though a few private clinics do exist.
In addition, many cities and hospitals, as well as military bases operate Ambulance and EMT services to react to any sort of medical emergency. Should a major medical emergency occur, dial 224 to call upon these individuals for help. Be aware it is a felony to call emergency services when no emergency is present.
A Word of Advice:
A full medical screening and inoculations are advised before entry, as Immigration has been known to deny visas to persons with severe or previously undocumented illnesses. Diseases from Earth are easily curable, though previously unkown strains of AIDS and Influenza, mutated thanks to the Apocalypse, have emerged in Africa (we are working on combating them aggressively).
Also, many of New Dornalia's environments are geared for oxygen-breathing life (i.e. Humans, Abhumans, Kroot), so those species that do not use oxygen as a primary breathable gas should bring special equipment. Parts of Earth SSR are undergoing cleanup due to pre-Apocalypse pollution and atomic debris; travel without special HAZMAT gear is not advised to these areas.
New Dornalia
25-07-2005, 19:27
The Law
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Internal Security Bureau
The Internal Security Bureau is the major domestic counterintelligence and security organization in the Workers State. Among other things, they are responsible for policing areas that do not have coverage by local or county police. In many areas of the New Territories, this is the case.
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The Los Angeles Police Department. Legendary in New Dornalia, they are a fine example of local law enforcement.
Many cities maintain local police departments; many countywide areas also have police services to patrol unincorporated areas and towns that do not have police services.
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Police box and policeman in Japan, Earth SSR
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ISB officers on duty in the New Territories
Police presence in New Dornalia is high. Besides standard stations, police boxes can be found on many street corners. Cameras are in place in many public areas to detect known criminals and to record video evidence of any criem that occurs.
If a crime is committed upon you or your family, then report it to the police. They are obligated to provide prompt service, and are not authorized to take funds for any reason. The local services are your best bet first, use the ISB last, as they may take slightly longer. Emergency number for local police is 225, ISB is 226.
In addition, policemen can be of help if you are lost; ask one, and he/she can point your to where you need to go. Many police are also trained in first aid and carry AEDs and other equipment in their cars, to respond to medical emergencies.
New Dornalia
02-08-2005, 16:16
The Food
Many foods from New Dornalia are examples of fine Terran cuisines; dishes such as Pad Thai and Baby Back Ribs are particular favorites. As the New Dornalian center of power was in California for most of its time, a tendency towards progressive "fusion cuisine" has developed; with cooks eager to try new mixtures of local foods. Colonies have only added to the diversity of the dishes; a dish for the brave is Luxembourgian Surprise, a fried tempura dish made with Mind Worms.
Also, the rise of Abhuman cultures and the incorporation of Aliens into the Workers State has included foods of all kinds. The gente-gata (North American catgirls) specialize in a form of barbeque belived to be derived from Mongolian, Mexican, and Native American traditions and are legendary for incredibly spicy food; the Elves are renowned as top brewers, with the Stuyvesant and ten Boom families monopolizing the brewing industry in the Workers State with a fine selection of beers and wines. The Kroot are famous for their epic hunts; and their tribal form of barbeque; the Lizardmen of Kol'tssein have a delicacy called "kan'sha lizard" which is quite good when fried, along with Grath Mushrooms, which produces an aromatic smell when boiled that actually keeps away the native Giant Flies-which are also quite good to eat.
The People
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A gente-gata (North American catgirl), with some augmentations.
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A Human member of the New Dornalian People's Navy
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A Kroot Shaper, directing his clan to battle
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A Kol'tssein Lizardman, with traditional blade
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Col. Katya Stuyvesant, Assistant commander of Forces in the New Territories
The Workers State has many different races in it, here are a few examples.
A quote from the New Dornalian Factbook reads as follows for their culture; it gives a basic sketch:
Culture-
The People of ND are raised, technically from a Post-Apocalyptic situation; hence the Abhumans. As such, many forms of modern pop culture, such as anime, Star Wars, etc., are seen as simple myths and folktales, and cherished. Rock and roll could be called the national music, though blues and R&B/Soul have a huge following too.
Also, years of Communist indoctrination have given the People an inbred distrust of royalty and big business, and other practices they see as "capitalist (a perjorative)," such as Christianity (it was only with the MacIntyre Administration that Freedom of Religion was instituted; he himself was a Baptist) or addressing persons as "sir" or "ma'am," as "Citizen" or "Comrade" is often a common form of address. Many can quote old Communist texts, and many are devout, religiously and Socialistically. Law and order is a desired virtue; indeed, many support the broad powers of the Internal Security Bureau (though it has been softened and restrained in recent years by Premierist and Politburo action). Progressive "nanny state" measures like welfare and national health are favored, and generally, the attitude of the people is that big government that works for the people in a contract relationship (it gives them plenty of goodies, they fight for it and pay it taxes) is good.
However, in a contradictory turn of events, many embrace the idea of small business and medium business. This has led to a form of "Restrained Capitalism" featured in the MacIntyre Administration; which allows for large corporations to exist, but puts them under control of Worker's Committees (OOC: Credit goes to Communist Louisiana, and some RL Chinese companies for this concept) or the direct command of the government, while leaving medium and small businesses unimpeded, but watched. Closed shops where people must join unions are mandatory, and only recently have businessmen been allowed to join the Party. Guns are also cherished and tolerated; this is again due to the necessity of a post-Apocalyptic landscape. In fact, citizens are even required to own a firearm and are required to be proficent in it; this is a duty which many surprisingly enjoy.
Abhumans occupy a unique place in society, and not a happy one. Their lot is equivalent to Black Americans or Northern Irish Catholics, especially the "Neckers," which thanks to continous warfare in the early days of the WSND, were and are still treated like different persons, often recieving discrimination in housing and jobs and being stereotyped in everyday media in a way similar to Native Americans and Asian women (the "Suzie Wong") in the 1950's. Elves actually have it a bit easier, but are still mocked as "pretty boys" and "Spocks." Things are getting better, as Abhumans have banded together using legal action.
Catpeople do not have standard last names; in lieu of this, the mother's first name and the suffix "Chibi" is affixed. This is the equivalent of old Scandanvian names liked "Carlsson," which mean "Son of Carl;" a name like "Linda-chibi" means "Child of Linda." Catpeople, meanwhile, come from all over (ex. Mexican-American and Asian-American descended tribes in the Western Old US, Turkish and German tribes in Eastern Germany); but they all generally have elements of Japanese culture in every tribe; a pattern that demands further research.
Elves use standard last names, as many Elves came from populations of West-Central European descent, predominately Dutch and German (large numbers of Elves exist in or are descended from populations in Midwest North America, South Africa (Boers), the Netherlands, Germany, Scandanavia, and Celtic areas like Scotland and Ireland), many will have names of these sort; for example, particularly well known Elven surnames are "ten Boom," "Kruger," "van der Roon," "Stuyvesant," "Botha," "Larsen," "Christensen," "Becker," "Olsen," "Mackay," "O'Connell," "MacClanathan," and "Menzies."
New Dornalians are also eager to embrace science, if not necessarily new ideas, an ideal formed from necessity in a post-Apocalyptic world. As a result, a new wave of scientific integration and innovation has occured, and has impacted society. Many New Dornalians cherish old timey things and will often follow the way of "waste not want not," but get a new shiny car in their face or give them a new computer and they'll go for it.
Sports in New Dornalia are relatively primitive compared to other civilizations. Sportshooting, boxing, kendo, kung fu, and soccer are relatively popular. In addition, the rise of Mobile Suits has led to private and government attempts to begin some kind of Mobile Suit Tournament, akin to G Gundam or Battlebots
Addendi to this include the love of gambling (represented in a flourishing casino business in Las Vegas, New England and France/Monaco), a thriving government-controlled prostitution business (where prostitutes are required to come in for physicals every month and are required to pay a cut of their earnings to the government, in exchange for very clean and comfortable "working areas."), and a pervading sense of "anime asthetics," which inflects all parts of art and society with an anime-style look.
New Dornalia
05-08-2005, 23:10
The Wildlife
OOC: Thanks to FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://flagspot.net/flags/ for the US Bureau of Fisheries pic. And thanks to Apolyton CS for the Mind Worms pic.
IC:
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The New Dornalian National Park Service. A continuation of American and European programs, it controls access to parks, wildlife reserves, and forests all over the Workers State, and it carries out biological and zoological missions.
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A depiction of a Chinese Dragon. There are 24 basic types in New Dornalia, the most common being the Common English Dragon, and the Tien Lung, or "Heavenly Dragon." Depending on region, they are either quite benevolent or violent, and fly either by psychic forces or by biological wings. They will spit some kind of fire.
They are proud and will contest any percieved offenses, including attacks from other dragons and development. Treat them with respect, and offer them a chicken and bow if they hesitant to talk. It has saved many a traveler. Barring that, run.
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Mind Worms are a lifeform unique to Luxembourgia. They too are powerful psykers, and often will use their powers to wear down their prey before commencing burrowing into the prey. Many a foolish traveler has fallen prey to the worms; it is advised that contact should be avoided as much as possible, barring that, carry a flamethrower and pray you are not the gullible or weak-willed type.